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Singapore's teaching strategies are working: Heng Swee Keat

Published on Dec 04, 2013
12:04 PM

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat congratulated local teenagers for doing well in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) in a Facebook posting on Wednesday. -- FILE PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

By Pearl Lee

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat congratulated local teenagers for doing well in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) in a Facebook posting on Wednesday.

Singapore came in second in mathematics and third in science and reading in the most recent Pisa test carried out last year. The test measures how well students use mathematics, science and reading to solve real-world problems.
"Regardless of how they rank relative to students from elsewhere, our students' own scores are better this time than when we first took part in Pisa in 2009," said Mr Heng, adding that this means the education system is moving in the right direction.

"Even more important - and this is a point of pride for me - our weaker students did better this year, so we know improvement is across the board," he said.

Despite facing a side that boast 2.06m Tharjini Sivalingam, who sat out some parts of the match, the Republic were largely untested throughout the match.
Singapore had also beaten Ireland and 2008 champions Papua New Guinea earlier in the week. They play Uganda on Wednesday evening.

A total of 17 athletes who won medals at this August's Asian Youth Games received cash scholarships from NTUC FairPrice Foundation Wednesday morning.

The awards, which range from $6,000 for an individual gold medal to $750 for an individual bronze medal, will go towards the athlete's training needs. It will cover expenses such as coaching fees, equipment and funding for overseas competitions.
Swimmer Quah Zheng Wen was the recipient of the biggest award ($18,750), although he was not present at the ceremony as he is currently overseas training. He won three individual golds (second and third individual golds at $3,500), an individual silver, a team silver and a team bronze. In all, more than $80,000 was disbursed to the athletes from swimming, shooting and fencing.

Said Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO of NTUC FairPrice Co-operative: "This is one way for us to contribute to our local sporting talents. Sports is a great way for the community to come together, and it's something that we've always believed in."

S’poreans major users of social media: Global survey

Video consumption, reading of blogs found to be the highest activities online among S’poreans

TODAY

11 hours 33 min ago

SINGAPORE — A global survey of social habits of consumers in 65 countries found that people in Singapore and the rest of Asia are major users of social media.

The survey, called “Wave 7”, tracked the dynamic shifts that have taken place within the social media landscape for the last seven years. It found that video consumption is the highest activity online (84 per cent) among Singaporeans. Conversely, only 30 per cent of Singaporeans stated they will create a video to post online.

Reading blogs is also high among Singaporeans (62 per cent) and comparable with regional (68 per cent) and global statistics (68 per cent).

However, when it comes to posting or writing stories for their own blog, only 28 per cent of Singaporeans were active in this activity compared with 41 per cent of Internet users in the region and 39 per cent globally.

Social media platforms like Facebook showed no sign of decline in Southeast Asia or even in the larger Asia-Pacific region.

In Singapore, virtual sharing via social networking (76 per cent) is on its way to overtake friend-to-friend (F2F) sharing (81 per cent) while messenger apps, the third highest mode of communication, trails closely at 66 per cent.

Microblogging has seen a rather slower adoption by Singaporeans with only 40 per cent following this trend.

Indonesians are the most active microbloggers in the Southeast Asia region at 69 per cent, while China is leading the way with 86 per cent of Internet users active on Sina Weibo.

In terms of device ownership, laptop ownership is the highest among Singaporeans at 90 per cent, ahead of regional and global users.

Dominant online activities among Singaporeans include researching something thoroughly (70 per cent), closely followed by watching content and making a purchase (67 per cent) — an activity which has seen minimal usage by other devices.

The survey also found that Singaporeans love their smartphones, with ownership at 88 per cent, significantly higher than that in Southeast Asia (73 per cent) and the global user base (73 per cent), though it was China and Hong Kong which topped the charts (90 per cent).

In Singapore, 69 per cent of Singaporeans are hesitant to share personal data online compared with 66 per cent of users in the region and 67 per cent globally.

In Southeast Asia, Filipinos, despite being the most avid social networkers, were the most concerned about privacy.

According to the survey, 76 per cent of users expressed they were concerned about the amount of personal data online, followed by the Chinese (71 per cent). Least worried were the Indonesians (57 per cent).

Face of the new generation

TODAY’s countdown for the SEA Games focuses on the young talents who have the potential to win medals both in Myanmar and at the 2015 Games in Singapore. We shine the spotlight today on 20-year-old water polo player Chiam Kunyang, who hopes to make a gold-medal-winning debut to extend Singapore’s stranglehold on the men’s water polo crown ...

SINGAPORE — His team-mates may have left for the South-east Asian (SEA) Games on Tuesday while he was completing his year-end examinations, but water polo player Chiam Kunyang is certain he will not be left out when the competition gets going in Naypyidaw tomorrow.

The fact is well-known: Singapore’s men’s team have never failed to return with the gold medal from the past 24 editions of the biennial Games, dating back to 1965, and are again firm favourites to make the top step of the podium.

Chiam, an Engineering undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), is one of the five SEA Games debutants in Naypyidaw, along with 17-year-olds Samuel Yu and Sean Ang, Yip Yang (22) and Toh Zhi Hong (23).

Juggling studies and sports, Chiam has been training six days a week with the national team while preparing for his week-long Year 1 exams at NUS. With the latter now out of the way, the 20-year-old flew out to Myanmar yesterday and can now focus on matters in the pool: To ensure Singapore’s water polo domination in South-east Asia continues.

Chiam’s rise to senior ranks has been swift, moving from the national under-16 and under-19 sides through to the senior squad in 2011.

“After my first outing in senior national colours at the 2011 World Developmental Cup in Saudi Arabia, I think my performances were up to national head coach (Lee) Sai Meng’s expectations,” said Chiam, of the tournament he went to after four months with the team.

Starting off as a swimmer in primary school, Chiam only took up water polo in Secondary 3 at the Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).

“The two ways to convince a coach to select you is if you perform when he gives you a chance at a competition, or if you stand out during training,” said Chiam, who recalled putting in extra hours in the gym to bolster his physique, and was so spirited during training that he tried out playing at various positions.
“Water polo is a contact sport so having some weight is a must, (and as I worked out) what I was losing in fat I was gaining muscle,” he said, after trimming down from 85kg two years ago to his current 73kg.

Coach Lee describes Chiam as a “quick, mobile, intelligent and hardworking player” who is now making his mark in the national side.

At the Zayar Thiri Pool, Chiam will be contesting the right winger position with veterans Lim Yaoxiang and Paul Tan. At 31, Lim is the team’s elder statesman who, after six years and two winning SEA Games campaigns (2009 and 2011), is likely to sign off his career in Naypyidaw.

Said Lim: “Every SEA Games, without fail, the water polo team has preserved the nation’s winning streak. We do not get enough recognition sometimes, and it seems the public take it as a given. Nevertheless, we will still go out there to win.

“I never thought the day would come (when I leave the national team) but the reality is, things are healthy with young blood such as Kunyang stepping up.”

Of Chiam, he said: “I’ve watched Kunyang mature as a player. He was lacking in confidence and looking lost when he first came in; perhaps he was a bit overawed.”

Chiam in turn points to Lim as having played an “instrumental role” in transforming him into a competent winger as both never fail to exchange pointers during practice.

“Any competition between Yaoxiang and me is healthy,” Chiam said. “I shall be proud to stand beside him on the podium.”

This year’s SEA Games will be the first time that a new set of rules — aimed at tempering the physicality and quicken the pace of the game — will be imposed in the competition after world governing body FINA passed them in July

The Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 serves as a reminder that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery continue to ravage societies around the world.

The Index scores 177 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). No country has a perfect score, and two-thirds of countries score below 50. This indicates a serious, worldwide corruption problem. Hover on the map above to see how your country fares.

The world urgently needs a renewed effort to crack down on money laundering, clean up political finance, pursue the return of stolen assets and build more transparent public institutions.

It is time to stop those who get away with acts of corruption. The legal loopholes and lack of political will in government facilitate both domestic and cross-border corruption, and call for our intensified efforts to combat the impunity of the corrupt.”

– Huguette Labelle, Chair, Transparency International

Full table and rankings

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 100, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 100 means it is perceived as very clean. A country's rank indicates its position relative to the other countries and territories included in the index. This year's index includes 177 countries and territories.

Talent is the V8 engine of competitiveness and innovation for today’s globally connected mobile economy. Those that have mastered the development of skills inside their countries and lowered the barriers to entry for foreign talent are creating vibrant and sustainable economies. Those that haven’t are facing a wide array of challenges, from skills shortages to high joblessness.

INSEAD, in partnership with Singapore’s Human Capital Leadership Institute and Adecco, has created the first ranking of 103 countries on their ability to attract and incubate talent. The index shows the top ten slots mostly populated by European and rich countries, plus Singapore and the United States and a wide gap between prosperous and low-income countries.

The top-ranked 20 countries in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) shows countries need both skill sets - global knowledge and vocational - to build a cutting edge, knowledge-based society, a complex undertaking that in some cases relies on strong educational traditions, and in others on immigration policies.

Swiss formula

At the top of the GTCI league table sits Switzerland. What sets Switzerland apart is its strength in both vocational and global knowledge skills, and across the entire gamut of indicators, said Paul Evans, Academic Director of the INSEAD GTCI. At the same time, Switzerland has two local specificities, added Bruno Lanvin, INSEAD Executive Director for Global Indices: a thriving apprenticeship programme, and a system where workers can move back and forth from classroom to workplace.

The GTCI measures countries, using 48 variables, split into two groups. The outputs are vocational and technical skills for jobs in fields such as health and engineering; and global knowledge skills, which encompasses a range of positions, including entrepreneurs, researchers, managers and other professionals. The second group addresses how countries enable, attract, grow, and retain talent to foster these output skills.

Small-country advantage

Lanvin said the rankings reflect three distinct types of situation in the leading countries studied. Countries and city states in the top ten employ a strategy that emphasises drawing in talent. These countries include second-ranked Singapore, followed by Denmark, and joined by the Nordic countries, Sweden, Finland and Iceland; plus Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and the U.K. Many of these countries, especially in Europe, have a long history of fostering strong education systems. “They have the income, they have the resources, they have the infrastructure. They just need the people that their demography does not generate,” Lanvin said.

The second is large industrial countries clustered further down in the top 20, which have a well-established tradition of immigration to attract talent, such as the U.S. (9th), Canada (11th) and Australia (15th).

And the third situation is seen in emerging countries that need talent to build infrastructure, develop their economy, and lift GDP growth. Such talent champions such as Montenegro and Malaysia were ranked 26th and 37th respectively for their focus on skills that their neighbours lack and developing human capital that is in particular demand.

Innovation link

Lanvin notes, as expected, the talent competitiveness performance of countries and GDP per person were tightly correlated in the GTCI - rich countries rose to the top of the GTCI, poor countries ranked at the bottom. But what was surprising was an even stronger correlation between talent competitiveness and innovation performance, he added.

Fast learners

In each world region, there were countries that stood out. For example, even though Germany is ranked 20th and is often lauded for its strong industrial base, Belgium is ranked slightly above Germany in the GTCI index, largely on the merits of its education system which leads to a stronger global knowledge workforce, whereas Germany is more weighted toward vocational skills.

Among developing countries, there were emerging economies that bettered their regional peers. In sub-Saharan Africa, which falls at the bottom of the table in GDP per person, South Africa stood out for its large share of women in parliament, a measure of a country’s commitment to growing and attracting talent. In Latin America, Chile was noteworthy because of its high social mobility and its open borders. In Asia, China outperforms other countries in the region due to its ongoing efforts to strengthen its higher education system.

The strong performance of these countries indicates that “global competition for talent is going to remain a rapidly-moving field, in which comparative advantages may be hard to keep,” the authors point out.

Minding the gap

The GTCI shows the global spread of talent competitiveness is indeed lopsided. Clustered at the top are rich countries that need to nurture both global knowledge and vocational skills, contrasted with lower-ranked emerging economies. The gap is widest on global knowledge skills, where rich countries are much stronger due to their well-developed ecosystem of universities and institutions that spur innovation, which are difficult for developing countries to replicate in the short term.

There is a virtuous feedback loop in operation in rich countries, which are able to develop, attract and hold onto talent. By contrast, the GTCI shows poor countries may not be able to keep the skilled workers they have developed and attracted. What is more, many of these emerging countries are striving to expand their pool of the vocationally skilled.

The draw of the metropolis

The index suggests another front is emerging in the global war for talent. To sharpen its competitive edge, a large country can better match the agility of the best-performing small countries and city-states, through strengthening competition among cities within its borders, Evans said.

Evans cites several examples of the increasing clout of cities as top talent draws: Barcelona, which has fashioned itself into a hub for information technology; the fashion industry, where there are now several capitals of “la mode”, with Paris no longer predominant, including London, Milan, New York, and Tokyo; and Singapore, which despite its modest market size, has positioned itself as the gateway to Asia, through building world-class infrastructure and striking partnerships.

“Ten years ago, if you worked for a large U.S. company… people would say are you interested in moving to a management position in China? Today, typically the answer to the question is, are you sending me to Beijing, to Shanghai, to Guangzhou, or to the western provinces?” Evans said.

Redressing imbalances

The authors note that to address the skills gaps evident worldwide, and most acutely in some countries and regions, will require more cross-border mobility of talent, greater access to education for women, the disabled, marginalised ethnic and poor populations, and for companies to reinvigorate apprenticeship programmes to retain skilled workers and create local jobs.

To address the complex and inter-connected challenges necessary to boost talent competitiveness will require government, business, organised labour, educators and individuals to collaborate through forging partnerships, the authors note.

Calvin Lim, 25, is part ofthe Singapore men’s floorball team that just won a gold at the 2013 South-East Asian (SEA) Games. Floorball is a demonstration sport at the games.

Calvin, an undergraduate at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), was at his first SEA Games.

We caught up with Calvin before he left for Myanmar to find out about his floorball experiences.

Sasha Christian: What challenges did you face heading into the SEA Games?

Calvin Lim: I’m quite injury prone especially my ankles. So I try to be careful at trainings. I had to double up the effort to do strengthening exercises for my ankle especially after tearing my ligaments in my left ankle and sustaining a bad ankle sprain on my right after my left recovered slightly.

What did you hope to gain from this SEA Games?

Calvin: I hope to gain the experience of competing in a major sporting event in South East Asia. Floorball was never a part of such major events. So this time it’s different, I want to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the process of it. I hope to achieve more than a medal. In terms of team bonding, to gain an experience that I’ve never had.

What was your training like in the lead up to the SEA Games?

Calvin: Due to the constraint of venue, we haven’t had much training. But we did have a couple of friendly matches against schools in Singapore.

Who is your role model?

Calvin: I do not really have any role model in particular, but I just pick up and learn stuff along the way in life.

When and how did you get started in your sport?

Calvin: I started floorball during my first year in Temasek Polytechnic. I used to play soccer a lot and decided to try something different. I wasn’t particularly outstanding that the seniors and coach took notice of me back then. Fortunately, I had a friend who was an alumni then who gave me a little help along the way and sort of paved the way to where I am now.

Which school did you play for?

Calvin: I used to play for Temasek Polytechnic but am currently playing for SIM.

What is your best school sport memory?

Calvin: In Temasek Poly, my last year was the best even though we didn’t win anything. I guess it’s good to say we were champions in our own way. The friendship and bonding forged was priceless and I totally treasure it till this day.

In SIM, I was finally able to pick up an elusive tertiary medal in the recent Singapore University Games (SUniG) Games held at Nanyang Technological University.

If you weren’t a floorballer, what other sport would you do?

Calvin: I haven’t really thought of it. I play a lot of sports but not good at any. Probably playing them just to keep fit and not grow fat.

Any pre-match rituals?

Calvin: I like to listen to music and visualize the game in my head.

What is your biggest motivation?

Calvin: My biggest motivation would be the people who are going to play together with me. I fight for them and myself and of course to do Singapore proud.

Aftermath of the riot in Little India, Race Course Road on Dec 9, 2013. The Bangladesh High Commissioner in Singapore has issued a statement refuting some media reports which state that a Bangladeshi worker was involved in an accident which triggered the riots. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

By Lee Jian Xuan

The Bangladesh High Commissioner in Singapore has called on the Bangladesh community to remain calm and fully cooperate with the Singapore law enforcement agencies following the riot in the Little India district on Sunday night.

In a statement, Mr Mahbubuz Zaman said: "I would request the Bangladesh community to exercise utmost calm and restraint and fully cooperate with the law enforcement agencies.

He said "we are duty bound to help the authorities to maintain rule of law , order and discipline in the society and community".

"This is necessary to maintain overall law and order and also to ensure that the law enforcement agencies can carry out their duties and responsibilities," the statement added.

"We would also like to take this opportunity to extend our hands of cooperation and assistance to the government and relevant agencies," he added.
Mr Zaman also refuted some media reports which stated that the man who was killed in the accident which triggered the riots was a Bangladeshi.

He said: "I want to categorically state that as per available information the news reports that appeared on a section of media and news involving a Bangladeshi worker is not based on facts."

The 33-year-old Indian national who died in the fatal accident, which sparked the Little India riot on Sunday night has been identified.

Mr Sakthivel Kumaravelu has been working in Singapore as a construction worker with Heng Hup Soon, a scaffolding company, for about two years, said a man who identified his body at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) mortuary on Monday morning.

The man, who declined to be named, said Mr Kumaravelu's family has not been notified of his death. He added that Mr Kumaravelu's body was not decapitated as reported by some news outlets but he did suffer injuries to his face.

Twenty-seven men from South Asia have since been arrested in connection with Sunday night's riot, which broke out at about 9.30pm along Race Course Road. Investigations are ongoing.

Firefighters are at the scene putting out the flames that had engulfed two vehicles, believed to be an SCDF ambulance and a police patrol car. There were at least four police patrol cars overturned along the road. One minibus - which appeared to have collided with a civilian vehicle - was further down Buffalo Road.

All the rioters appear to have dispersed but riot police could still be seen combing the area. The crowds who were earlier cheering the police, were still milling around at the time of this report.Residents in the area described the scene as that of "havoc". One resident said he saw about 200 men at one point, surround the minibus that was involved in the accident.

The mob involved in the Little India riot attacked emergency vehicles that were responding to the fatal accident between a private bus and a person at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Monday.
"Upon arrival, there was a man trapped under a bus," said the spokesman. "An SCDF paramedic pronounced him dead on arrival (and) SCDF rescuers extricated the body using hydraulic rescue equipment. Projectiles were thrown at the SCDF rescuers while they were extricating the body. A total of 9 SCDF vehicles were damaged in the incident."

At the time of this report, the SCDF had conveyed 18 casualties including four SCDF personnel to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

"On Dec 8 at 2123 hrs, a fatal traffic accident occurred between a private bus and a person at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road. Shortly after, a riot broke out involving a crowd of about 400 subjects where the subjects damaged 5 police vehicles and 1 ambulance. Several other private vehicles were also damaged. 10 officers were injured.

"Police activated resources from Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent to the sene and the situation is under control.

"Police would like to advise the public in the area to remain indoors while police operations are ongoing. Other members of the public are advised to keep away from the vicinity.

Members of the public are also advised to stay calm and not to speculate on this incident. Members of the public with any information of the riot are advised to call the police at 1800-2550000.

"Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Mr Teo Chee Hean, said, "This is a serious incident which has resulted in injuries and damage to public property. the situation is now under control. Police will spare no efforts to apprehend the subjects involved in the riot."

Little India Riot: 27 nabbed; more expected to be arrested in 'hours and days that fo

Published on Dec 09, 2013
5:54 AM

By Francis Chan, Assistant News Editor

Twenty-seven men from South Asia were arrested in connection with Sunday night's riot in Little India, which apparently started after a bus ran over and killed an Indian worker as he was crossing a road.

Videos uploaded on social media within the hour of the accident, showed the private bus being set upon by an angry mob even as the 33-year-old victim's body remained pinned under the vehicle.

One man from the mob was seen in a video striking the windscreen and windows of the bus with a pole, while another tossed a litter bin at the vehicle from close range, shattering the front windscreen.

This even as the crowd continued to grow, cheering and shouting vulgarities in Tamil - turning violent in a matter of minutes, said eyewitnesses.

Members of SPF's Special Operation Command stand in front of a burning ambulance during a riot involving almost 400 people broke out in Little India along Race Course Road on Dec 8, 2013. Twenty-seven men from South Asia were arrested in connection with Sunday night's riot in Little India, which apparently started after a bus ran over and killed an Indian worker as he was crossing a road. -- ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

First responders to the accident, including a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulance and a police patrol car, arrived at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road shortly after they received a call for help at 9.23pm.

SCDF rescuers were trying to reach the victim, who was trapped under the bus with hydraulic tools when the crowd apparently attacked them. "Projectiles were thrown at the SCDF rescuers while they were extricating the body," said a spokesman.

The mob spiralled out of control quickly after that, turning on the police, including the reinforcements who had arrived by then. "Some of the men lit beer bottles with fire and threw them at the police, I saw them throw more than 10 bottles," said Mr P. Kannan, who was waiting for a friend at the Little India MRT station.

Police estimates later put the mob at about 400-strong.

Commissioner of Police Ng Joo Hee said 300 police officers were activated to contain the rioters. These included men from the Special Operations Command (SOC) and Gurkha Contingent, who arrived at scene clad in anti-riot gear.

Residents living at Blk 661 Buffalo Road, many of whom had a bird's eye view of how the riot unfolded, said they saw at least three police patrols cars being turned onto their sides by the mob.Two ambulances at the scene were also attacked, one was seen with its windscreen smashed, while another, which was next to a Traffic Police Expressway Patrol, was on fire.

Said Mr Rohit Sodhi, 25, a service staff member at the Jungle Tandoor Restaurant: "I heard what sounded like bombs going off. Three times. Then I saw a huge mob running towards my restaurant and down Upper Dickson Road. The police chased them."

SOC officers, fanned out in anti-riot formation along the street, managed to break up the violent mob shortly after they arrived at the scene. Commissioner Ng said during a press conference after the incident, that the situation was resolved within the hour of the first call received.

"As far as we know now, there was no Singaporean involved in the riot," said Commissioner Ng. "The unwanted violence, rioting, destruction of property, fighting the police, is not the Singapore way."

Two police patrol cars and an ambulance were still ablaze when The Straits Times arrived at the scene. The burning vehicles triggered a few explosions before firefighters were at scene to put out the fire. A total of nine of SCDF and police vehicles were damaged in the incident, including an ambulance and three patrol cars that were burnt.

The SCDF said at press time that it had conveyed 18 casualties including four SCDF officers to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) for treatment. The police said 10 of its officers were hurt during the riot.

The Straits Times understands that the driver of the bus was still undergoing an operation in hospital to treat a deep gash in his neck. His bus conductor was also hurt during the riot.

The incident came as a surprise to many, because not since the racial riots in Singapore in 1964, have the police been activated to respond to such unrest. Said 19-year-old polytechnic student Jovial Ng who lives on Buffalo Road: "We studied about the Maria Hertogh riots in social studies but we never expected to witness anything like this in real life."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post on Monday morning, called the riot a "very grave incident". "The situation is now under control, and investigations are underway. Whatever events may have sparked the rioting, there is no excuse for such violent, destructive, and criminal behaviour. We will spare no effort to identify the culprits and deal with them with the full force of the law.

"I urge all Singaporeans to stay calm. Do send the Police any information, photos or videos of the incident that you may have. I also wish the injured officers a full and speedy recovery."

When The Straits Times visited TTSH at about 1.45am on Monday, more than 10 SCDF officers were seen resting at a staging area, after receiving treatment for their injuries. Most had bandages to their face or arms, although one officer was in a wheelchair with a bandaged knee.

A nurse said roughly 15 SCDF officers arrived at about 1am for treatment at the hospital. Some family members of the injured were also spotted waiting at the hospital.

Mr Rafi Yaacob, 24, was at the hospital together with his mother and brother for his father, an SCDF ambulance driver, who had responded to the accident earlier.

The pest control officer said that rioters had smashed the windscreen of the ambulance his father was driving, and the glass shards had cut his face. His father was also injured when rioters threw stones at the paramedics.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who visited the scene after the riot with Second Minister for Home Affairs, Mr S Iswaran, urged members of public to stay calm and not react to speculation, and let the facts be ascertained.

"The Government will not tolerate such lawless behaviour," said Mr Teo, who is also Minister for Home Affairs. "I have asked Police to deal with all aspects of the incident, including the traffic accident, what happened immediately after the traffic accident, and all ensuing incidents."

Commissioner Ng said: "You can expect that we will make further arrest in the hours and the days that follow. Anyone with information about people who were involved in the violence last night should tell the police.

"We will go all out to find, to bring to custody, everyone who was involved in this incident."

Migrant workers' group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) has appealed to the public to be mindful not to flame hatred and xenophobia when commenting on the riot that happened in Little India on Sunday night.

In a statement on Monday, TWC2 president Russell Heng said his organisation is saddened and disturbed by the incident. "We do not condone senseless acts of violence and would like to see those responsible apprehended and put to justice," he wrote.

At the same time, he expressed concern about the vitriol and xenophobia online against foreign workers. He said such comments "can only perpetuate a vicious cycle of hatred that can lead to more violence and may even cost lives".

Separately, a group of netizens have arranged to meet at Tekka Market at 7.45pm on Monday night. They plan to walk down the stretch and hand out flowers for peace and reconciliation. One of the organizers wrote: "Bring your own flowers and lots of love. Be safe, and most of all be loving."

Plans to tighten alcohol rules in Little India might be affected by the riot that took place there on Sunday night. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew told reporters on Monday morning that he and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean had discussed the ongoing consultation on what changes should be made to liquor licences.

Mr Lui is an MP for Moulmein-Kallang GRC, under which Little India falls. He and fellow MP for the constituency Denise Phua have wanted to limit the number of liquor licences in the area, among other rules to tighten liquor access there.

"Our feel is that in Little India, the number of licences that have been given... has increased too significantly and too much for our comfort," he told reporters in Little India yesterday, while he was there to speak to residents.

Plans to tighten alcohol rules in Little India might be affected by the riot that took place there on Sunday night. Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew told reporters on Monday morning that he and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean had discussed the ongoing consultation on what changes should be made to liquor licences. -- TNP PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO

There is also the question of "whether and how we should more properly demarcate areas where drinking is allowed and the time periods where such drinking is allowed," he added. Even if incidents such as the riot are not directly caused by people who are alcohol-fuelled, alcohol can add to their severity, he said.

Asked if there was any indication that Sunday night's mob was "alcohol-fuelled", Mr Lui said it was "hard to say definitively." But from what he observed himself, when he went down last night and saw some of the people who were taken into custody, "I think in my mind it was quite evident... alcohol could have been a contributory factor."

He noted also that beer bottles and beer cans were among the objects used to damage vehicles in the riot.

The issue of liquor licences is not new, but MPs have been more successful in getting support for changes in other areas of the constituency, said Mr Lui. On Balestier Road, for instance, there are now strict limits on establishments such as pubs, karaokes and budget hotels.

Mr Lui also told reporters that the police presence would be stepped up in areas where foreign workers congregate, and during holidays or festive periods when larger crowds are expected. But he stressed that he did not want the incident to be cast as a case of "foreign workers versus 'us'", or to "overlay a racial tone to it."

Singapore chef licks competition in Japan cuisine contest

Published on Dec 09, 2013
8:05 AM

Singaporean chef Li Kwok Wing (centre), popularly known as Santaro, beat nine other chefs from around the world to win the inaugural Washoku World Challenge in Tokyo yesterday. Behind him in black is Singaporean chef Mark Tay Kuan Jin, who was also a finalist. -- PHOTO: COURTESY OF WASHOKU WORLD CHALLENGE 2013

By Kwan Weng Kin And Hau Boon Lai In Tokyo

Singaporean chef Li Kwok Wing has trumped nine other chefs from around the world to clinch the gold medal in the finals of the inaugural Washoku World Challenge held here yesterday.

Washoku means Japanese cuisine.

A partner and chef at Santaro @ Hinoki restaurant in Cross Street, Mr Li won with his dish, steamed chestnuts and pumpkin with whipped egg whites.

In line with the rules of the competition, no medals were awarded to the other finalists, who included Singaporean Mark Tay Kuan Jin.

Little India riot: Learning the right lessons from this episode

On Sunday night, in Little India, a bus involved in an accident was smashed by a crowd of angry men; 16 police cars were damaged; one ambulance was completely burnt and two ambulances and other support vehicles were badly damaged.

Little India Riot: Firefighters putting out flames on vehicles engulfed by fire
Firefighters are at the scene putting out the flames that had engulfed two vehicles, believed to be an SCDF ambulance and a police patrol car. There were at least four police patrol cars overturned along the road. One minibus - which appeared to have collided with a civilian vehicle - was further down Buffalo Road.

Little India Riot: Busloads of riot police respond to rioting mob
At least three busloads of police officers in riot gear responded to a riot that broke out along Race Course Road around 10pm on Sunday night. The mob, believed to be made up mainly of foreign workers, apparently attacked an ambulance and a traffic police highway patrol car responding to an accident earlier in the vicinity.

Little India Riot: 24 brought to court to face charges

Published on Dec 10, 2013
9:33 AM

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The South Asian rioters arrested for the fracas that happened on Sunday night arrive at the Subordinate Courts, on Dec 10, 2013, to be charged for vandalism and rioting with a deadly weapon. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN

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The South Asian rioters arrested for the fracas that happened on Sunday night arrive at the Subordinate Courts, on Dec 10, 2013, to be charged for vandalism and rioting with a deadly weapon. -- ST PHOTO: JAMIE KOH

Twenty-four people allegedly involved in last Sunday's riot in Little India have been brought to court to face charges on Tuesday morning.

The police said two more people have been released after investigations showed they were not involved in the riot.

The other two are an Indian national and a Singapore permanent resident. This means those who are likely to face charges of rioting are all Indian nationals.

The police had earlier rounded up 28 people, but found that two Bangladeshis in the group were not involved in the riot.